As the runners flooded out of the tunnel back onto U.S. 1, they heard something else — bagpipes, played live by the band Black Pearl.

The second annual Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers 5K Run/Walk in downtown Fort Lauderdale, which honors fallen first responders in the Sept. 11 attacks, was held Saturday morning, and the addition of the tunnel to the course this year added to the significance of the event.

The run/walk, which began in 2002 in New York City and has expanded to other cities around the nation, was started as a tribute to Siller, a New York firefighter who was last seen running through the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel — with 75 pounds of gear strapped to his back — on his way to the World Trade Center minutes after the attacks despite having just finished his work shift.

Fort Lauderdale Police Lt. Frank Sousa said he had wanted to include Henry E. Kinney Tunnel in last year's race course, but couldn't because of road construction. After much persistence and phone calls this year, he said, he finally received approval from the state.

"It just adds to the emotion of the day," said Siller's brother, Frank, who attended Saturday's event. "When you retrace somebody's footsteps, and I know this is Fort Lauderdale, but you get a feeling for what he did that day. That's the idea of it all. We want to make sure we never forget."

According to race officials, about 2,400 registered for this year's event and $90,000 was raised to support the Tunnel to Towers Foundation and Special Operations Warrior Foundation.

Raul Cernuda, a firefighter for city of Miami Fire Rescue, was among those Saturday who ran with all of his gear — about 70-plus pounds — that included steel-toed bunker boots.

"It's very patriotic," he said of running the race, adding that passing through the Kinney Tunnel was "inspiring."

"We've seen all the footage of the 9/11 attacks and you see these first responders just running," Cernuda said. "I thought about what it must have been like going into the tunnel."

Mark Tasson was one of several Hollywood Fire Rescue firefighters to participate in Saturday's race. Tasson, who also ran in the Tunnel to Towers race in New York last year, said nothing can replicate that, but Saturday "It felt like I was running in New York."

Emmanuel Davis, also from Hollywood Fire Rescue, said he wanted to run with all of his gear "to see if I had an ounce of the heart that a firefighter had to get to the towers to do his job."

Mike Wagoner, a police officer for Miami Gardens, wore a police bullet-proof vest and gas mask over his mouth as he ran Saturday.

Then there were those runners such as Michelle Kerrigan, who said she thought there would be no better event for her first 5K.

"It's always been very dear to my heart, 9/11, and I just wanted to respect and honor everybody who did things for us and continues to do things for us," said Kerrigan, who ran with a small flag on a stick tucked into the back of her shirt and another held by a hair clip. "It was just so motivating."

Kerrigan's husband, Kurt, said the sound of the cadence from first responders running in Saturday's race "gave me chills the entire time."

Dustin Emrani was the top male finisher, just edging out Kevin Silver in time a of 17:00.2. Lesley Moore was the top female finisher with a time of 21:15.4.